What did I pay back then?

[basscatfrank]

I shoot a lot of .22. Years ago, when ammo was plentiful I made a habit of buying a box or two every time I was in Walmart. At one point I had over 15000 rounds on hand. When things got crazy I still had plenty without having to search around for it. I now have some open space on my .22 shelf that needs filling. I happened to be in Walmart today and they had 1000 round boxes of Winchester for $67 so I picked a couple. For the life of me I can't remember what I used to pay for them. What did they cost four or five years ago?

 

[Marty McFly]

24 bucks like 10 years ago iirc

 

[jkelly1229]

Is 15k a lot?

I mean yeah 15k is a lot....

 

[cookiecutter]

I remember buying them for $9.99/500 on sale back almost 20 years ago. I was living in CA and they were toying with the idea of a $0.10 tax per round on all ammo, which was oppressive on normal ammo, but totally crazy on rimfire, so I made a habit of buying like you did. I've not had to sweat the rimfire shortages since.

 

[cookiecutter]

Is 15k a lot?

I mean yeah 15k is a lot....

It's all relative. It is a AWFUL LOT when supply is so constrained that you see people show up at the range with 25 rounds pre-counted out for their session ... like they are on a diet. If you like to shoot rimfire, it seems like a good level to keep your stock at. They are REALLY hard to reload!

 

[headednorth]

I seem to recall $0.04/round for 22.

 

[carbuncle]

I remember buying them for $9.99/500 on sale back almost 20 years ago. I was living in CA and they were toying with the idea of a $0.10 tax per round on all ammo, which was oppressive on normal ammo, but totally crazy on rimfire, so I made a habit of buying like you did. I've not had to sweat the rimfire shortages since.

That was 10 years ago in WA for me.

 

[jkelly1229]

It's all relative. It is a AWFUL LOT when supply is so constrained that you see people show up at the range with 25 rounds pre-counted out for their session ... like they are on a diet. If you like to shoot rimfire, it seems like a good level to keep your stock at. They are REALLY hard to reload!

I roll with 15kish 556 in the house at all time. Usually hover closer to 20k ok 22

 

[Sparky123]

I can remember, and it was not too long ago paying $22 bucks for a 500-round brick of Blazers or American Eagles. I bought these .22s at Four Seasons somewhere around 2019.

 

[Andy in NH]

Here's a sample of older prices from some of my .22LR containers.

 

[Taipan01]

I had the same habit but mine was over many years. I keep at least a brick in each hard case so there's 5,000 minimum. At one point I was somewhere in the 90 - 100,000 +/- range. I went so far as to get one of the permits from the FD for storage due to the amount. During one of the shortages, I swapped an LGS a bunch for a new S&W performance center 1911 9mm and let him set the value, we both came out ahead. I could have gone the neckbeard route and made some decent money but that wasn't why I offered them. I'm still rolling with at least 40,000 floating around even after the years since I swapped, donating some, not buying anymore and using mainly .22's for a while.

 

[Kevin_NH]

A box of fifty on sale would've run around 35¢ back in the 60s, since then the sticker price has doubled every ~20 years.

Looking at the big picture, today's prices aren't bad:

The first graph is adjusted for inflation, the 2006-2020 graph is raw unadjusted prices. For example, when I first started shooting, dad paid 2¢/round for Thunderbolt. That'd be a nickel per in 2022 dollars.

 

[Bt74]

.69 cents for a box of shorts in 1968. My brother and I would pool our money and buy like 5 boxes, then spend the day metering them out, shooting an old single shot! Good Times.

 

[Bt74]

When I first started shooting, we paid 2¢/round for Thunderbolt. That'd be a nickel per in 2022 dollars.

Looking at the big picture, today's prices aren't bad:

Not a bad price today, But Thunderbolts being the worst garbage ever produced, they are only worth about a half cent, just to throw into the campfire to shake everyone up!

 

[BlacknRed]

$9.99 for bricks of 500 Federal from Mammoth Mart in West Boylston in the mid/late 70's.

 

[greencobra]

$9.99 for bricks of 500 Federal from Mammoth Mart in West Boylston in the mid/late 70's.

i remember those prices. they use to sell boxes of 100 also for .99 cents. i have a remington gift pack, 400 rounds and a remington branded case knife in a gift box and it's stickered 4.99. from mid 70's maybe.

 

[Steve600]

I probably have 12,000. More than I will ever need but you don’t know what the future holds!

 

[240Geezer]

It was as high as 15k at one time but I haven't bought any in years.
Haven't shot much in that time either. But I have gifted a bunch to new shooters.

 

[01906]

I seem to recall $0.04/round for 22.

I think that was fairly recently. Maybe four or five years ago

 

[headednorth]

I think that was fairly recently. Maybe four or five years ago

yeah I was thinking the height of the Trump ammo glut '18/'19?

 

[chris_1001]

I used to go to KMart in Milford MA back in the late 80’s and get an “ammo can” of 650 CCI mini mags back then for $12 ish. Then hit the quarries to shoot.

 

[LTCRN]

.02 to .03 cents a round at Wally World just before B. Hussein O'Bummer took office. Then it was slightly greater than .03 cents to slightly greater than .05 before the pandemic struck. I haven't bought any .22 for many years now as I cleaned out two WM's inventory before the cost reached over .06 cents / round. I think I still have enough left for at least a couple of years too.

 

[Daddy Mac]

I'm pretty good on .22, but I worry about long term storage. Rimfire is the only ammo I've ever had get squirrely on me. It was also before I had climate controlled storage.

 

[Steve600]

I'm pretty good on .22, but I worry about long term storage. Rimfire is the only ammo I've ever had get squirrely on me. It was also before I had climate controlled storage.

I use an airtight case with some desiccant packs.

 

[sieveboy]

A brick of utility grade .22 was $10 for years from the eighties up until probably 2000

 

[45Badger]

I bought cases of federal 550 or 525 bulk packs at Walmart for $99.50

Snagged a case of 325 round auto match for $179 just after Sandy Hook price madness.

Still have some left

 

[peterk123]

I was paying 4 cents a round before the plandemic and communist takeover. Fortunately, still have around 20,000 rounds.

 

[timbo]

Back in the mid 70's, I was paying about $3.50 for a brick of 500...the CCI stingers were a bit more expensive, about $4.50-$5.00 for a brick

 

[RKG]

I remember buying .22 standard velocity from CMP for $97.something per case of 5,000 rounds. I tended to buy two to four cases at a time.

 

[G4Y4HK]

Right after Sandy Hook, 22lr vanished from shelves everywhere. Then a few days later some LGS were selling ziplock baggies of them 100 rounds a bag at $20 a bag. A far cry from the 550 round federal bricks sold for $15 just a few years earlier around 2010-2012.